Finalist 2010

27 May 2010

Slide one over

New from California's Sierra Nevada is Glissade, a golden bock which follows their Kellerweis in being an attempt at recreating a German style, only in smaller bottles. It's similarly successful too, in that it has all the elements you'd expect from the real thing, but doesn't quite do enough with them.

So, at 6.4% ABV it's the right strength for a German bock and has the same relatively heavy, sticky, nearly syrupy, body. The nose and foretaste have the slightly herby, nettle-like character of noble hops, and the finish is sugary malt. I'm not much of a fan of the style in general, but even I can tell that they haven't put the elements together in quite the right way. I found it inoffensive, as did my bock-loving wife.

Far be it from me to say breweries should stick to what they're good it, and making the styles appropriate to their region, but I will say that if I do want a pale German bock I'll be getting some Einbecker or the like; and when I recommend Sierra Nevada to people, it'll be for Torpedo, not this.

I don't know if the question is whether Sierra Nevada should be brewing something like this or not, but whether there is a point in bringing this beer all the way to Europe where you can sure get the real deal cheaper.

"if breweries did make only the styles appropriate to their region (and again I'm not saying they ought to), how would it lead to homogeneity?"

It would limit creativity because they'd be tied down to one (or a few) specific styles. Also, in todays world of modern chemistry and water treatment, "styles appropriate to their region" is a redundant concept.

Yes, but breweries in different areas would continue to create their appropriate different styles -- they wouldn't be allowed drift into homogeneity. Drinkers would still be allowed buy beer from all different breweries in my exceedingly liberal Orwellian nightmare.

Your range of choice as a drinker would be less though. If London breweries only brewed stout and porter for example, how easy would it be to get a US Pale Ale in London? It wouldn't. How easy would it be to get a fresh US Pale Ale? It wouldn't.

The idea of walking into four different pubs on the same street and having a choice of 3 porters in each one doesnt appeal to me.

Appreciate that import/export wouldnt cease to exist, but overall the range of choice would decrease.

I really don't see how choice of imports would be any way affected: anywhere that stocks a US pale ale now would continue to stock a US pale ale then. It's got nothing to do with London pubs (which, being 300-odd miles away in another country, have very little impact on my drinking life anyway).

James Clay will still be beavering away under the new regime. Busier than ever, I'd imagine.

Considered getting this in the offie yesterday, instead I threw four bottles of Torpedo into my basket. Thanks for posting this, I know now made the right decision. Torpedo is definitely my favourite beer at the moment.

Two of the best US Style Pale Ales I've had recently have come from within 1 mile of Tower Bridge (central London). Pubs tend to sell more local cask beer than they do imported beer, logically that would be mean more of the same thing and less choice (if locally everyone was brewing the same style).